Night noise guidelines for Europe

World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe · WHO · 2009

Key finding

Recommends outdoor night noise below 40 dB (L_night) to protect health; effects begin around 30–35 dB indoors.

Citation

Authors: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
Published in: WHO
Year: 2009
Topic: Sound

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Related guides

Sound: aim for ~35 dB, and hate inconsistency

Related studies

Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on healthNight-time noise fragments sleep and raises cardiovascular risk even when people don't consciously wake.Noise as a sleep aidEvidence for white/pink noise as a sleep aid is weak and low quality — it can mask inconsistent sounds, but keep it quiet.Environmental noise and sleep disturbancesReview linking traffic and environmental noise with awakenings, sleep-stage changes and next-day effects.

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Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Screening scores are not diagnoses. If a score is elevated or you feel unwell, talk to a clinician.